“You hit your head on the desk after you dropped the artifact.”
“What? I dropped the artifact?” He looked between Maureen and Felicia.
The two of them nodded and said “Yes” at the same time. Without consulting each other, they both pushed the compulsiondeeper into his mind until he could see himself dropping the stone tablet. Maureen eased off as his eyes got wide with the “memory” of what happened.
“I’m so sorry, sir. You were showing it to me.” Felicia didn’t look a bit sorry. “I guess it was heavier than you thought.”
Harold pushed Maureen’s hands away and struggled to his feet. “What?” he repeated. “What happened?”
Maureen handed him a paper cup of water. “When you dropped the stone tablet, you dived for it but hit your head. You were bleeding.”
He looked at the room and the shards of stone on the floor. “I’m bleeding? Why is my furniture like this?”
“I don’t know. It was like that when we entered. I just came to introduce Felicia to you. She’s trying out to be a docent like me.”
Felicia chimed in, “It seems like a good job for an older woman like me. Good pay, too.”
Harold shook his head too vigorously and staggered. Maureen steadied him before steering him to lean against his desk. “No. I’m sorry. Docent isn’t a paid position.” He glanced at Maureen. “Usually. I still don’t know why we pay you. Then again, you do more than docent duties. Always have.” He shook his head again, more carefully, holding it with one hand. “I’m afraid the Stewart Museum doesn’t even have room for another unpaid docent.”
“Are you sure?” Felicia asked, trying and failing to keep the smile off her face.
“I’m sure.” He pulled himself together. “Now, if you two would leave me. I need to make sense of this mess.” He turned to his desk and frowned. “Why would I move...?”
“Have a good evening, Harold. I’ll lock up.” Maureen took Felicia by the arm and led her from Harold’s office, closing the door behind her.
Felicia made a sound that was half laughter, half snort. “Just wait until he figures out what time it is.”
“Are you sure you’re going to be fine with that thing?” Maureen nodded to the docent vest pouch pocket.
“Oh, yes. I’m sure it’s fine now.”
The two of them walked in silence until they got to the museum’s back door. Maureen grimaced. “I suppose we ought to let the Wilson girl know about this now.”
Felicia scoffed. “Why? We dealt with it.”
“Because you were right. She’s the Master of the City representative and because wediddeal with it. This is the sort of thing she’d like to know about. Also, I’m sure one of her allies is going to tell her about the power flare we sent up tonight.”
“Point. I could feel you across the museum. What did you have to fight?”
Maureen shook her head. “Nothing too bad. So, you’ll do it? The report?”
“That’s up to you. Write whatever you want. I’ll sign it afterward.” Felicia eyed Maureen. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Docents don’t get paid? Weren’t you the one to tell me about this job? Paycheck and all?”
Felicia looked away, her nose in the air. “I don’t remember.”
Maureen put her hand on her hip. “Felicia Care, what did you do?”
The other woman rolled her eyes. “Fine. You won’t let it go until I tell you. I convinced some people with more money than sense that this little museum would be the perfect pet project. They pay for you and a little bit more every year and the museum prospers.”
“You didn’t.”
Felicia scoffed. “I did. It got you out of my hair. You wanted company and something to do. I wanted my privacy and solitude. I have my own duties to attend to. It was practical. Besides, you really do a lot more than just docent duties here, don’t you? And your museum is thriving just enough, isn’t it?”
“I guess it is.”
The two of them stood at the museum’s back entrance, Felicia looking elsewhere and Maureen smiling at her until Felicia grumbled, “Aren’t you going to let me out? That door isn’t going to unlock itself.”
